Saturday, January 19, 2008

Today I visited a local Everett, Washington business that I had read a lot about. It was a delight. The place is called ‘Old Strokers Motorcycle Works’. It is located at 2816 Hewitt Ave, Everett. The store has been in business for almost 2 years.

When you walk inside the shop there is an instant cozy feeling, which carries through the whole place. The owners are Randy and Sandy Morris who were very friendly and sat and talked with us for quite a while. The store carries all kinds of motorcycle related gear, although on a small scale. They strive to only sell locally made merchandise, artwork, and clothing. There were some really unique items that caught my eye as I surveyed the goods.

We walked to the rear of the store, which has an espresso bar, snacks, and lots of comfortable seating. There were lots of people just hanging out there, exchanging biker stories and enjoying each others company. Some of them were from a local VME (Vintage Motorcycle Enthusiasts) group and they were older riders with lots of history behind them. These guys also were talking about playing motorcycle soccer! That was something I hadn’t heard of. The walls are covered with local racer photos, vintage posters and artwork, and just a lot of interesting things to look at. There is also a fireplace to keep everyone warm and cozy this time of year.

The shop organizes weekly meetups and rides when the weather looks good. They have movie nights, dinners, and other social events for bikers to keep busy with during the winter. There are a couple of women’s riding groups that meet there also, one of them being the Chrome Divas.

I don’t live real close to Everett, but I will definitely go back, hang out, and have a latte. Even the coffee is from a local independent vendor who roasts his own beans! It was one of the best lattes I’ve had in a long time. They are also adding a small kitchen so will serve sandwiches and such after March.

If you are ever in the neighborhood, the shop is located just a few blocks off of I-5 and has lots of parking. I like to support the local economy so I stand behind the small businesses in our area. Old Strokers doesn’t have a website, but their My Space page is at www.myspace.com/oldstrokers. Their hosted rides are posted on Meetup.com . Check it out.

Very cool... I wish i was able to do something along those lines at my shop. I'm still working on ideas for fun rides for motorcyclists. Looks like you have been able to get some riding in... good for you! -Crusty

itz always ncie meting otehr bikers and exchange stores over a cuppa. here we do it almost once or twice in a month, but we dont have any biker shops to hang out. the only place we have in teh entire city is a hotel - the owner is a great chef and nice rider, and he have done up the whole place with a biking theme. have been thinking about posting some pics of teh place - will do it soon :)